Thousands invested in Misterton Lock

Work on Misterton Lock which is being restored and repaired G131112-2f

Published:06:00Saturday 23 November 2013

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Tens of thousands of pounds are being invested in vital work to repair Misterton Lock.

As part of its annual programme of restoration and repairs to historic canals and rivers across the country, the Canal & River Trust has begun essential maintenance works at the site, situated on the Chesterfield Canal.

The Trust is investing £80,000 in repairs including replacing a set of 3.5 tonne lock gates which have been operated by boats for over 25 years, grouting the lock chamber walls to prevent any leakage and patching up other masonry around the lock. The lock will also be cleared of any silt and debris to help boats pass through more easily.

Measuring over 20 metres long and 3.5 metres deep, the lock will be drained to allow the maintenance team access into the lock to carry out this three week project. A fish rescue may also be carried out to relocate fish to a safe part of the canal during the work.

The work this winter comes as part of the charities £45 million spend on essential repair and restoration works and routine maintenance to our canals and rivers. Teams of experts will be working on around 100 locks across the country, replacing 141 lock gates for the benefit of the 33,000 boats and 10 million towpath visitors that use them each year.

Sean McGinley, waterway manager for the East Midlands region said: “Every day lots of people might walk or cycle alongside these locks enjoying what the waterways offer without ever really knowing all the hard work that goes on behind the scenes to keep these iconic structures alive. Our locks, aqueducts and bridges dates back to the days of the Industrial Revolution so need some careful maintenance and restoration.

“It’s important to us as a new charity that people understand the scale of the work we do which might encourage more people to get involved and support their local canal or river. All the work we do is to make sure that the canals and rivers can be used by boaters, canoeists, cyclists, anglers and walkers and are protected for years to come.”

Misterton Lock and Chesterfield Canal were first constructed 240 years ago by renowned canal engineers, James Brindley and Hugh Henshall, who were responsible for building hundreds of miles of canals. The canal was built to export coal, limestone, and lead from Derbyshire and iron from Chesterfield.